Gottsching



Feb. 7, 1956 A. GOTTSCHING APPARATUS FOR PRINTING MULTI-COLOURED PRINTS FROM SINGLE IMPRESSIONS Flled July 29 1949 INVENTOR. ARTHUR GOTTSCHING DECEASED. BY LOIS A. HICKS, ADMINISTRATRIX ATTOPNEY.

United States Patent "cc APPARATUS FOR PRINTING MULTICOLORED PRINTS FROM SINGLE HVIPRESSIONS Arthur Gottsching, deceased, late of Berlin, Germany, by

Lois A. Hicks, administratrix, San Francisco, Calif, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Lois A. Hicks Application July 29, 1949, Serial No. 107,546

1 Claim. (Cl. 101-175) The invention, in general, relates to the graphic and reproduction arts and more particularly relates to improved method of and apparatus for producing multicoloured prints, secure against imitation and counterfeit, from relief printing plates by direct printing from single impressions.

Heretofore, there has been some attention devoted to the production of multi-coloured prints from a single impression but, in the main, the improvements resulting from these efforts relate to offset and indirect printing, rather than direct reproduction from a single impression. Moreover, those who have heretofore been moderately successful in the production of multi-coloured prints have had considerable difficulty in producing such prints wherein exact register in all of the prints is afforded. That is to say, that various colors of the multi-coloured prints heretofore produced partially overlie one another and in some cases are variably shaded in tone thus rendering the final prints unsuitable because of having various and numerous distortions therein. The present invention is directed to the provision of multi-coloured prints in indeterminate quantities from single impressions wherein the products are in all respects uniform with exact register in all of the prints produced not only as to the basic or main design but as to the additional tints embodied in the auxiliary designs.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of producing multicoloured prints, all secure against imitation and counterfeit, by direct printing from single impressions, from relief printing plates.

Another important object of the invention is to provide multi-coloured prints wherein all colors are in exact register regardless of the number of prints produced and regardless of the speed of production.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide improved apparatus for printing multi-coloured prints of the aforementioned character by single impressions.

Another'important object of this invention is to provide improved methods and apparatus of the indicated nature which are additionally characterized by their flexibility and by their adaptability to present printing instalments methods and improved apparatus for producing multicoloured prints which is additionally characterized by the capacity of the method and apparatus to eliminate waste of paper stock, as well as cut down the amount of time and labor involved-in producing such prints.

Other objects of the invention, together with some of 2,733,556 Patented Feb. 7, 1956 the advantageous features thereof, will appear from the following description of the preferred embodiment and certain modified embodiments of the invention, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 is a schematic elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, as exemplified in a rotary printing instalment for printing "multi-coloured, register keeping prints directly from a collect relief plate in combination with an olfsetprint.

One preferred mode of producing an indeterminate number of multi-coloured prints containing the various colors in exact register, preferably comprises directly transferring designs in different colored inks from a plurality of elastic relief printing forms onto a relief printing plate, and then taking off on suitable sheets impressions from said plate as well as an impression on the same sheets from an offset print containing a main design.

The present invention includes a process of producing multi-coloured prints with one single impression from one relief printing plate, such process involving a simplification of and an improvement upon the conventional collect-printing process and including improved apparatus for carrying out the improved process. As is perhaps Well known, conventional collect-printing processes heretofore practiced involve the use of a collector of elastic material which receives on its surface the ink from a plurality of differently colored inked relief printing forms, one after the other. On such collecting roller or collector of elastic material, therefore, there is collected a multi-coloured picture of ink which is transferred to a printing plate and an impression is then taken from the multi-coloured inked relief plate. The different inks given to the collecting roller lie side by side and also one upon the other. In this prior practice, the ink is not directly transferred 'by the usual ink rollers onto the relief printing plate, from which the impression is taken, but is indirectly transferred 'over an elastic collecting relief roller. The indirect transfer of the ink onto a relief plate is disadvantageous in that an inking of the relief printing plate is not possible 'in full strength and depth and using more than one collector gives no better results. The present invention obviates the above mentioned disadvantages by eliminating the elastic collecting roller. According to the present invention, the inks are collected directly onto a relief printing plate before each impression is taken and this is accomplished by using rollers with form plates *of elastic material instead of plate rollers of solid material which heretofore transferred their ink to the elastic collecting roller. The elastic form plates employed in th'epresent invention transfer the colored inks one after the other similar to the usual inking roller in relief printing, directly onto the relief printing plates from which the impression is made. For example, a yellow ink elastic form plate transfers its yellow ink to the relief plate, then a blue elastic form plate transfers its blue ink to the relief plate, and then the other form plates, as far as'the relief printing plate is fully inked in all requisite parts. In this manner, the inks come in full depth side by side and one upon the other onto the relief printing plates, the impression taken brings out all colors in full depth and brilliance and since the special collector has been eliminated the improved collect-printing process of the present invention is essentially simplified.

The improved process referred to in the preceding paragraph is combined with offset printing to produce multi-coloured, register-keeping prints wherein the main design is offset or book prints and the additional designs are immediately collected according to the above mentioned simplified process on a collecting plate and from the'collecting plate a single impression produces the multibefore printing from the collecting relief plate but when the main design is also made in relief print, the main design may be printed before, as well as after, printing the additional designs from the collecting relief plate. In order to obtain the required register between the two impressions which follow immediately one after the other, both giving the finished print, a special gripping attachment is provided for the sheet to print, and different pressing rollers are required for both impressions. On both of the pressing rollers, the sheets must be held at all times during the printing operations in a specified or certain position in order that both impressions on the paper have the right relative positions one to the other. It is also to be understood that both pressing rollers have the same speed in the printing plane being connected together by a conveying arrangement, such as a chain or belt. In addition, on the conveyor are provided fixed gripping elements, hereinafter referred to as conveyor grips, which grip the sheet to print during both printing stages as it is carried. This arrangement does not, as yet, secure an exact register as to both impressions be cause of the unavoidable clearance and looseness in the conveyor attachment. To overcome this difficulty, the conveyor gripping element or conveyor grips which hold the sheet to be printed must always be maintained in a fixed position on both pressing rollers and that is accomplished by means of a second group of gripping elements which clamp the conveyor grips with the sheets in immovable or fixed positions on pressing rollers but only during the printing steps. Therefore, the conveyor grips hold the sheet always in the same position on each of the pressing rollers when printing and the exact register is thus attained. The above mentioned second gripping elements are hereinafter referred to as position grips and it is to be understood that before the conveyor grips leave the pressing rollers such conveyor grips are loosened or, in other words, the position grips are opened.

In Fig. 1 of the annexed drawings, the requisite apparatus is illustrated schematically for effecting a multicoloured print wherein the main design is printed in offset, the offset arrangement being well known. As illustrated, the direct collect printing can be effected with a plurality of different colors and in the exemplification illustrated in Fig. 1, three different colored additional designs are provided to supplement the main design in offset. As is obvious, a greater or a lesser number of differently colored additional designs can supplement the main design in offset, as desired, by using a larger or a smaller printing cylinder hereinafter referred to.

In accordance with this improvement, and with reference to the exemplification illustrated in Fig. 1, there are provided a printing cylinder or roller 301 which is recessed on its periphery for mounting in fixed relationship thereto a plurality of form beds 317 to which are secured a plurality of relief plates 318 for collecting the additional designs from elastic preprinting forms. Arranged for engagement with the surface of the relief plates 318, as they rotate on the printing roller 301 in the direction indicated by the arrow 320', are a plurality of cleaning, wiping and polishing fingers, 331, 332 and 333, affording the cleaning arrangement after the impressions are taken off on the sheets as hereinafter described. Also arranged for engagement with the surface of the several relief plates 318 are a plurality of preprinting rollers, associated in pairs and designated by the reference numerals 336 and 337, 356 and 357 and 376 and 377; each of the aforesaid preprinting rollers carrying an elastic preprinting form 335 on which the detached or additional designs, as desired, are provided. In addition to the foregoing, there are associated with each of the pairs of preprinting rollers above designated, a conventional inking mechanism is indicated, such inking mechanism being adapted to apply requisite amounts of different colored inks to the respective elastic preprinting forms 335 carried on the above designated preprinting rollers. Thus, the inking arrangemeat for the preprinting rollers 336 and 337, to each of which is secured an elastic preprinting form 335, consists of an inking fountain 338 together with a dual arrangement of ink distributing rollers 341, 342, 343, 343, 344, 344', as well as hard steel rollers carrying an adhesive for enhancing the distribution of the ink onto the elastic preprinting forms 335; such hard steel rollers being arranged in pairs as indicated by the reference numerals 340 and 340, associated with preprinting roller 337 and 345 and 345, associated with preprinting roller 336. Similarly, the inking mechanism for effectively and properly inking the elastic preprinting form 335 secured to the preprint ing rollers 356 and 357 includes an inking fountain 339 together with a plurality of ink distributing rollers 346, 347, 348 and 348', 349 and 349, in dual arrangement, together with similar hard steel rollers covered with an adhesive for enhancing the distribution of the ink onto the preprinting form 335 and indicated by the reference numeral 350 and 350, associated with preprinting roller 357, as well as355 and 355' associated with preprinting roller 356. Likewise, similar inking mechanism is associated with the preprinting rollers 376 and 377 for properly and effectively inking with a different set of colors the preprinting elastic forms 335 on such preprinting rollers. This inking arrangement includes an inking fountain 358 together with a plurality of ink distributing rollers 361 and 362, 363 and 363', 364 and 364', in dual arrangement, together with hard steel rollers carrying an adhesive for effectively enhancing the distribution of the ink upon elastic preprinting forms 335, as indicated, arranged in pairs and designated by the reference numerals 360 and 360' with respect to the preprinting roller 377 and by the reference numerals 365 and 365', associated with the preprinting roller 376. Thus, with inks of different colors in the three inking fountains 338, 339 and 358, the elastic preprinting forms 335 on the respective pairs of rollers 336 and 337, 356 and 357 and 376 and 377, each of which carries a preprinting form 335 provided with different additional designs for impression onto the relief collecting plates 318, receive proper application of differently colored inks for effectively transferring or impressing the additional designs in different colors onto the collecting relief plates 318 as they revolve with the main printing cylinder 301.

In addition to the printing cylinder 301, with its above described associated means for directly collecting on relief plates a plurality of detached or additional designs in differently colored inks, there are provided in the exemplification of the invention illustrated in Fig. 1, an elastic offset roller 302 onto which is impressed in the conventional manner an offset print of a main design, forming a part of the ultimate multi-colored print produced, from an offset printing plate hereinafter explained; the main design being taken off by a first impression or pressing roller 311 onto suitable paper sheets 313 which are delivered to the pressing roller 311 by means of an endless conveyor 313' from a stack 314 of such paper sheets. Associated with the elastic offset roller 302 is an inking mechanism that includes an inking fountain 321, together with a plurality of ink distributing rollers 322, 323 and 324, 325, as well as a pair of hard steel rollers each carrying an adhesive for enhancing thedistribution of the ink upon the offset printing plates 318; such hard steel rollers being designated in the view at the lower portion of Fig. 6 of the drawings by the reference numerals 326 and 327. In addition, provision is made by means of moistening roller 330 and 330 for properly moistening the inked offset printing plate 318' as it retates on roller 325' to effect the proper transfer of the main design recurrently to the elastic offset roller 302. The mechanism just described affords the continuous inking of the offset printing plate 318 and properly moistening the same to enable clear, deep, fully inked impressions therefrom onto the elastic offset roller 302.

In accordance with the present invention, means are provided for taking off impressions of the main design from the elastic offset roller 302 in correct register successively on each sheet 313 of a plurality of sheets continuously fed to the impression roller 301, and thereafter taking off successive impressions on each corresponding sheet 313 of a plurality of the sheets the composite additional designs which have been impressed onto the relief printing plates 318 as they revolve with the roller or cylinder 301; all in proper register-relationship with the main design. To this end, there is provided an endless conveyor 320 which is trained around not only the pressing roller 311 but also around a second pressing roller 311, such conveyor 320 serving to carry successively the sheets 313, not only between the pressing roller 311 and the elastic offset roller 302 for taking off impressions, on the successive sheets, the main design of the ultimate multi-coloured print but also for carrying such sheets 313 bearing the main design between the second pressing roller 311' and the printing cylinder 301 for taking off impressions from the collecting plates 318, the composite additional designs in differently coloured inks onto each of the sheets in succession and in proper register with the main design, whereafter the sheets 313 are delivered by means of the conveyor 313" to a stack 315 of the finished multi-coloured prints, each containing a multi-coloured print of a main design in one color and additional designs in diflferent contrasting colors, all in exact register, regardless of the number of sheets 313 that are passed through such mechanism, as aforesaid, and delivered face up on the stack 315. Since the pressing rollers 311 and 311 are mounted for rotation in the same printing plane and operate in synchronism with the elastic offset roller 302 and the printing cylinder 301, the finished multi-coloured prints can be produced at any desired speed of operations.

It is to be especially observed, in order that exact register of the composite additional design with the main design on each and every sheet 313 be had or attained, that the conveyor mechanism 320 is provided with a plurality of gripping attachments 380 arranged at desired intervals along the run of the conveyor and pivotally mounted thereon so that the gripping attachments, hereinafter called conveyor grips, can be moved into engagement with the sheets 313 as they are fed to the pressing rollers 311 and 311'. In addition to the conveyor grips 380, there are provided on each of the pressing rollers 311 and 311, a plurality, of gripping attachments, hereinafter called position grips, which are designated in the showing of Fig. 6 by the reference numeral 381 and which are pivotally mounted upon the respective rollers. The function of the gripping element 381 on the pressing rollers 311 and 311 are to maintain the conveyor grips 380 in engagement with the sheets 313 during the printing operations in both instances, i. e., when taking off the impression of the main design from the offset elastic roller 302 as well as when taking off the impression from the collecting relief printing plate 318 containing the composite additional designs in the different contrasting colors. These positions grips 381 are so arranged that immediately after the printing operations, in each instance, they are opened to permit the release of the conveyor grips 380 with respect to the pressing roller so that intermediate the first impression and the second impression only the conveyor grips are holding the sheets 313 on the conveyor 320 and, after the second impression, the conveyor grips release the sheets 313 for delivery to the conveyor 313 which carries the completely finished multi-coloured print to the stack 315 face up.

While the present invention has been especially devised for the printing, in multi-colours, of bank notes and other currency, as well as debentures and the like, the invention is equally applicable to commercial printing in multi-colours for the production of coloured comic strips as well as vary-coloured advertising media in newsprint form, such as in periodicals, magazines and the like. Due to the organization and arrangement of the various elements of the printing instalments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and the fact that the multi-coloured prints are taken off in one impression with the various designs on each of the finished multicoloured prints in exact register from the start of the operations to the finish thereof, the present invention not only obviates separate mechanisms for taking off the various additional designs as well as separate mechanisms for taking off the main design, but, in addition, reduces the time involved in producing such multi-coloured prints as well as a saving in labor and saving in paper stock by the elimination of waste. It is to be understood, of course, that all of the inks employed in the hereinabove described invention should be anti-acid inks and fastdrying, fast-color, hard inks.

It is to be understood, therefore, that the appended claim is to be accorded a range of equivalents commensurate in scope with the advance made over the prior art.

What is claimed as new and patentable is:

Apparatus for producing multi-colored prints in indeterminate quantities from not more than two impressions per print, said apparatus comprising; a revolvable printing roller having a recess in the periphery thereof, a collecting relief plate fixedly secured in the recess of the periphery of said printing roller, said collecting plate being adapted to receive impressions of a plurality of additional designs in differently colored inks, means for producing a main design for a finished product, means for producing said plurality of additional designs, an elastic offset printing roller, said offset printing roller being adapted to receive impressions of said main design for said finished print, a first pressing roller, a second pressing roller; said first and second pressing rollers being in the same printing plane as said elastic offset printing roller, an endless conveyor trained around said first and second printing rollers, a plurality of gripping attachments pivotally mounted at intervals along the runs of said conveyor; said gripping attachments being adapted to grip and retain on said conveyor a plurality of printing sheets, means for feeding successively a pluraiity of sheets between said pressing roller and said elastic offset printing roller and for taking off finished printing sheets from said second pressing roller, a plurality of gripping attachments on said first printing roller and on said second printing roller; each of said last mentioned attachments being pivotally mounted.

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